Making a Connection - You can enter the process by meeting with any one of a variety of trained collaborative professionals. These professionals include:
Your initial contact will educate you as to the process and help you to identify your next steps.
For a list of local collaborative professionals please click here
O.K. I’m in What’s Next?
In order for you to participate in the process, both you and your spouse must be on board. You can invite your spouse to learn about the process and commit to the process in a variety of ways, including:
He or she gets to choose who to contact first and how to educate himself or herself about the process.
You should discuss your options with your initial contact.
One of the unique advantages of the Collaborative process is that you can select from a range of expert professionals who can assist you with your unique concerns.
Some of the professionals available to assist you include:
A “neutral†professional is one who can work with both you and your spouse to assist you with a defined task. There are great cost benefits to working with a neutral, as you and your spouse can share the cost of a neutral, while each benefits from the neutral’s expertise.
You and your spouse will choose only those team members who serve your needs. However, you will each need your own collaborative lawyer to ensure that you get Independent Legal Advice.
Your initial contact person can help you to identify your needs and select your team.
For a list of local collaborative professionals please click here
You and your spouse will guide how your team and process will be managed.
Cost Savings
Collaborative work is generally far less costly than that performed in the traditional legal context.
Select Your Own Funding Options
You and your spouse can jointly decide on how you want to share any expenses of the process. You may agree to share such expenses equally or in other proportions.
You can agree to utilize cost-efficient neutrals, so that portions of the work performed on your file can be accomplished at a lower, shared cost.
Now you and your spouse are ready to sign an agreement that gives you access to this progressive, team-based, safe and respectful process. This agreement is referred to as a "Participation Agreement".
Your Participation Agreement sets out the guidelines and expectations for the process in brief, readily understandable terms.
The Participation Agreement can be modified to meet your unique needs and circumstances.
Privacy - You may have a unique need for privacy - for business, cultural, religious or other reasons. The traditional legal process cannot begin to guarantee your privacy. The Collaborative process is a more secure option.
Security - Your team will help you to identify any concerns regarding physical safety and emotional security. They will help you to structure a working environment that will address your security concerns.
Transparency – You and your spouse will commit to openly sharing all relevant information with each other and with the team.
Civility – All participants in the process strive to operate in a civil and respectful manner.
In identifying your family’s unique context, the assistance of a Family Coach can be invaluable and cost effective. Learn More
Meetings - your initial meeting can take a variety of different forms, depending on you and your spouse's individual needs and requests. Your initial meeting could be a full team meeting. You could choose to begin by meeting with one of your neutrals. You could choose an entirely different meeting option. It all depends upon what works best for you.
How Many Meetings - The number of meetings that you will need will depend upon you and your spouse. It will be influenced by how readily you generate required information and how productive you are at each step of the process. Having noted this, Collaborative work is generally more time efficient than that conducted in the traditional legal process.
Goals - The goals of your meetings will be to:
Process - At each meeting, a member, or members, of your team will:
Everyone has his or her own specific concerns and goals.
Your team will help you to articulate what matters most to you and will work with you to achieve your goals in the process.
You are likely experiencing uncertainty, which can be stressful. Knowledge is power and knowledge can be comforting.
A team member, or team members, will help you to identify the information that is necessary for the proper evaluation and settlement of your concerns. You can obtain as much or as little team support as you need in gathering required information.
In gathering and evaluating financial documentation and information, the assistance of a cost-effective Financial Coach can be invaluable. Learn More
Your team will assist you and your spouse in evaluating the information which you have compiled.
Your Collaborative Lawyer will advocate for you, supporting you in articulating and advancing your goals.
You and your spouse will participate in negotiations that are assisted by your team. The team will help you to brainstorm solutions, overcome obstacles, maintain constructive dialogue, build healthier long-term communications with your spouse and forge a result which will be beneficial and enduring, because it was generated by you and your spouse in circumstances which supported a positive, holistic outcome.
Once you and your spouse have negotiated a beneficial and enduring agreement, you will formalize that agreement, by incorporating it into a binding legal document. This document is called a domestic contract. Your Collaborative Lawyers will help you and your spouse to translate your informal agreement into such a contract. This contract will govern your Family Law affairs, now and for the future, providing you with a clear, confident and constructive framework.